Shes lovely. At least we all know this old cutey wont be fish tanked.

Phil: it's not missing a fuse cap, it's missing the fuse! That's the old style twistlock fuse holder, the bare metal top of the fuse is exposed! You should do what I did on my CTC-9 and replace that dangerous thing with a modern insulated one. It will keep you from coming into contact with it accidentally and receiving a nasty wake up call.

Dang! that cabinet looks way nicer than it did in the CL listing. Whatever did you wipe that thing down with? Very nice looking cabinet. Do you want to trade that for a nice Early American CTC-10? :rolleyes:

Kevin

I really like RCA's "V" shaped emblem with the color shield below.

I agree, plus it reminds me to keep my wings level. :)

Kevin

Not like that pilot who tried flying a B52 sideways one time, only a few hundred feet up in the air... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Fa...ase_B-52_crash :sigh:

Good thing Phil got that TV, I'm in Seattle too, but I can't physically handle a set that big.

I haven't done anything to the cabinet except for a quick wipe with a soft cloth & mineral spirits to remove old furniture polish & dust. It has little nicks and scuffs if you look closely, but it should look great after a standard touch-up. The finish has a very deep appearance -- more than the usual number of lacquer coats, perhaps. It's a quality cabinet. The side panels have veneer but the rest looks like solid wood.

This set was well cared for. This seller got it from the original family in Tacoma. I think he paid only a few bucks or got it free. He buys various things from estates and remarked on how old TVs are sometimes giveaway items. I gave him my email address and told him what to watch for in these lines.

In the cabinet I found an RCA service tag from 1977 with the owner's name & address. No work is recorded, so perhaps they made another tag or the owners decided not to fix it after they got a price estimate.

Replacing the fuse holder sounds like a fine idea. Seems odd that a serviceman would remove a fuse and not replace it. Perhaps some fumblefingers owner removed it and dropped it into the gap between the chassis and the cabinet side, where you can't retrieve it without pulling the chassis.

Despite all my lectures to self, I did try powering it up after checking & cleaning all the tubes. Tubes lit up, but there was no sign of B+. It drew much less current than you'd expect, and there was no spooling-up sound from the HV or static from the speakers. I found one fuse on the top of the chassis (what you'd call the top when it's lying flat). Eventually I spotted this fuse on a Sams diagram. My CTC-11 chassis are very similar to this, but they don't have a fuse in that spot.

I see a part labeled Thermal Switch in the schematic. I guess it's a B+ delay similar the one in some old DuMonts. Several seconds after powering up, you can hear it click on. I'm curious to see what it looks like in the flesh. The drawing in the schematic reminds me of a toaster switch: power resistor plus bimetallic strip, perhaps.

It's dumb luck that I got this set. I happened to check CL a few minutes after he posted the ad, and I phoned him immediately. Half an hour after he had put up the ad, I was tooling down the highway with cash in hand. Perhaps getting a good deal once in a blue moon will help balance all the other times I've paid more than I should :)

Phil Nelson

CTC7 or 9 on Seattle Craigslist
 

That ol' girl couldn't be in better hands. Congrats Phil. :banana:
I'm in Everett. If you had not snatched it, I would have been SORELY tempted...and I have NO room!

It is one sweet looking set, inside and out. The CRT face has a grey cast to it. Does that mean it was replaced?

BTW, which is it, 7 or 9?

Walt Anderson

On the chassis is a rubber stamp: CTC-7AC.

The CRT could be a replacement. I can't see any marks other than a serial number. This set clearly got used, not just bought and stuck in a closet. Around the fine tuning knob is a circle where the finish was rubbed off to bare wood, same as my CT-100 cabinet. Shows you how owners were constantly adjusting these early color sets, I guess.

I was more concerned about beating fishtankers than other collectors. The combination of nice cabinet with big screen makes it irresistible fishtanker bait. The last TV I bought from craiglist had already been sold for "repurposing." I got it by offering $40 rather than the asking price of $10.

Long term I will need to unload at least one of my CTC-11s to make room for this in the house.

Phil Nelson

It's a vicious cycle, I'm telling you! I have to get rid of my CTC-9 now, because there's no room left. I'll probably end up selling the 7 as well, though I'd rather not see it go. All in the name of CTC-4 glory I suppose, the wife only wants me to keep one. :sigh:

Yeah... it's funny how they only want you to look at one TV. Where do they get these goofy ideas? :D

Kevin

probably from common sense, we're moving later this year and hauling around 3 heavy TV's is not in my future considering my back problems.

I think the gray-faced crt is correct for these. 21AXP22/21CYP22 were that way? The 21FBP22, etc, were greenish.

Nice,nice set.

If it's a 7, it will have a CYP.

That missing fuse is in on the B+ line. My 10C has the same fuse set-up. I've never gotten bitten by it in all these years.

Fine looking set, there. I cant wait to see it working!